Apocope \A*poc"o*pe\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ? a cutting off, fr. ? to cut off; ? from + ? to cut.] 1. The cutting off, or omission, of the last letter, syllable, or part of a word. 2. (Med.) A cutting off; abscission.
apocope n : abbreviation of a word by omitting the final sound or sounds; "the British get `pud' from `pudding' by apocope"